de Guzman's Play

[JimmyJames]

He appears to be living up to some of the expectations most fans placed on him with his signing...is this because he is finally healthy or becuase of the recent signings? I think it is a bit of both.....

[jrue17]

I agree that its a bit of both... He is not the player he used to be however he can still be effective as he has shown. I think the players that he is surrounded by make the biggest difference. A player with calmness and thats reliable like Frings can help his confidence to focus on his game and surroundings

[Obinna]

Combination of both. Hopefully he can continue his good run of form and help Canada out this september.

[Canuck Oranje]

In my opinion, focusing on de Guzman might be the wrong reference. Frings is an on-field coach who understands what Winter wants to do. It's affecting the whole team. Based on the game I saw live and the reports I heard about yesterday's game, I think players like Plata and Henry and others are impacted by Frings when he's on the field as much as de Guzman. It's the realization that you are playing with someone you saw playing at the highest level when you were 12 that really hits home and ups the motivation level. Time will tell but so far, it might be the best signing from a soccer perspective by an MLS team. Beckham is marketing, Frings is football. Koevermans only reinforces the message.

[BearcatSA]

Hopefully he can continue his good run of form and help Canada out this september.

From an NT standpoint that's the big thing. Apart from the foul on the penalty he executed the rest of the duties well last night. Though he was absent last night (and it showed), Frings has influenced the whole team as a whole as well as JDG in particular in prior recent matches.
I hope he keeps it rolling. I'm not sure when his current deal runs out but getting a good run of form will help him in his next contract, wherever he goes.

[Gian-Luca]

Which is similar to what happened in the old days in the NASL with Canadian players playing alongside the likes of Pele, Beckenbauer Eusebio, Bettega, etc. - and eventually got us into the World Cup of course. Hopefully the same thing will eventually happen again.

[BearcatSA]

^A very young d-mid prospect like Stinson, for example, will certainly benefit from the German's influence, as well as the other young'uns on the roster.

[Ivan]

The Frings signing also exposes the main weakness of pre-Frings TFC and our Nats. The lack of a true on-field leader. Hopefully, DeGuzman steps up to be that leader - you could already see him barking orders Thursday night. Not sure I saw him in that mindset before.

Even if he doesn't, perhaps he could encourage someone like Simpson, Hutch, Johnson or McKenna to step up even more.

[BHTC Mike]

Time will tell but so far, it might be the best signing from a soccer perspective by an MLS team. Beckham is marketing, Frings is football.

Hyperbolize much?

The Frings signing has been a good one and he was exactly the sort of midfield general leader player I asked for but there's an entire LEAGUE, most of whom are a lot better than Toronto, beyond TFC and LA out there: Mauro Rosales has easily been the best signing of the year and that doesn't even begin to talk about "all time" (as your quote implies). Call me back when TFC wins something, or at least competes for something beyond the NCC, and we'll start to comparing it to other great signings.

[darowaan]

I think JDG is playing better because he is healthy, he seems to be settled in and getting regular games now, the transfer talk is all but gone, and the team around him is better. His job is made a lot easier when he has a partner in the center of the park who is as good as Frings is. It gives Julian an increased level of freedom that he has not had with TFC and that is paying off. He seems to be recovering some of the confidence that he had obviously lost and even if one of his two goals involved a fair bit of luck it is all good news from both a TFC and a CMNT perspective. If he is confident and gets anywhere near the level he was at before coming to TFC then he will be a difference maker for club and country.

Personally I think he will benefit the most in the short term from TFC improving its midfield. But in the long run JDG will never get back to the level Toronto would have hoped for when they signed him